


All Days are Nights to See...

by ScribeOnTheSide



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Fluff, M/M, References to Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet References, Shakespeare Quotations, fluffy fluff fluff, so much unnecessary Shakespeare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-14 18:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11788608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribeOnTheSide/pseuds/ScribeOnTheSide
Summary: Ike is working late when he gets a late night visitor, bearing a gift and pretty words.  Ranulf finds inspiration after attending a Shakespearean play put on by a travelling acting troupe.  Fluffy fluff ensues.  A continuation of my series of random daily life slices starring one of my favorite pairs.





	All Days are Nights to See...

**Author's Note:**

> If I were more diligent, I'd have all the quotes sourced properly but as I recall, they are from Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, and Sonnet 116.

Plink....plink…

Ike leaned back from the desk, rubbing his eyes against the flickering torchlight. He never should have promised Soren he’d look over the new attack plans after dinner. His adviser tricked him and threw in a stack of supply orders that needed approval also, chaining him to the desk for hours. Ike’s shoulders were knotted from hunching over in the too small chair. His eyes crossed as they fought a losing battle to decipher the spidery handwriting of a general requesting more books… or was it cooks? Hooks? Who knew…

Plink...plink…plink...

Now, in the deepening dark of late evening, he had nothing to show for it other than some paper cuts and a deep appreciation for his tacticians who normally handled this part. A noise at the window drew his attention. Some poor bug bashing itself to death to get to the light, Ike thought. 

Plink…

Ike frowned, his brow wrinkling as he considered the sound. It was too sharp for a bug. Lifting himself from the chair, he rolled his shoulders to relieve the ache and walked over to the window to let his insistent visitor in. Speaking of visitors, Ike wondered where ... 

Plink....

Ike jumped back as a small pebble hit the window directly in front of him. Definitely not a bug. Pushing open the window, the fighter stuck his head out, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. There, a few floors below his window, as if summoned by the unfinished thought, stood the one person Ike wanted to see. Ranulf tossed a pebble up in the air and caught it as he grinned up at Ike. Seeing he had his attention finally, Ranulf produced a dark red rose from behind his back, offering it up to the man in the window.

“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Ike is the sun.”

Ike smiled at the unexpected surprise.  
“Does that make you my Romeo, kitty?”

Ranulf gave him a wink.  
“Ay, pretty beorc, if you’ll be my Juliet....without all the dying, of course. We can do without that.“

Ike laughed and leaned up against the window frame. His silly cat could be so sweet. They’d gone to the play put on by a travelling troupe of actors a few nights before. Mist had begged them to take her. What started as a favor for his sister apparently hit a chord with his favorite laguz. Ike mustered the deepest voice he could and clasped his hands together in front of him.  
“O Ranulf, Ranulf, wherefore art thou Ranulf?”

Ranulf cocked an eyebrow, a sly smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. He crouched and took a leap towards the heavy ivy-covered trellis that ran up the side of the stone castle wall. Catching the thick wooden slats, he put the rose between his teeth and carefully began to ascend towards the open window. He paused for a moment just before reaching the sill and held the rose up dramatically while precariously hanging one-handed.

“See, how he leans his cheek upon his hand!  
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,  
That I might touch Ike’s cheek! ”

Ike rolled his eyes but still reached down to help his lover in the window.  
“We *do* have stairs in this place, you know.”

“Where’s the romance in that? For you, my lovely.”  
Ranulf jumped off the window sill, bowed low, and presented the slightly bedraggled from its trip flower to his fighter. 

Ike took it with a flourish, breathing in its heavy scent. He never was a flower person but Ranulf seemed to luxuriate in them. He loved to tuck them into Ike’s things here and there. Ranulf always brushed it off, teasing Ike about improving the way he smelled. And the flowers kept coming, a daisy here, some lavender there, occasional rose petals sprinkled throughout his backpack.

“A Ranulf by any other name would smell as sweet. Is this your hint I need a bath?”

Ranulf cocked his head at the other man, pinning him with his multi-colored eyes, twinkling with suppressed mirth. 

“That’s what I normally tell you, isn’t it? Do you know why I really do that?”

Ike sat on the edge of his desk and shook his head.  
“It’s not just to annoy me?”

“No, silly. Two reasons. First, to remind every laguz that comes within 10 ft of you that you are mine. We can smell the flowers long after you stop.”

Ike shuddered. “You mean I constantly smell like a bouquet?”

“You smell as lovely as you look, my young fighter.”  
Ranulf crossed the room to the desk, placing his hands on either side of Ike and leaning forward, forcing the man to scoot back a little to accommodate him. The laguz brushed Ike’s hair back from his face. 

“The second reason is to remind me to never take you for granted. You are my precious blossom and I don’t want to waste a minute of your blooming.”

Ike felt the blood rushing to his face. His cat always knew how to fluster him.

Ranulf leaned even closer, pressing his body into Ike’s and whispering in his ear.  
“Love’s not Time’s fool,  
Though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle’s compass come;  
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,  
But bears it out, even to the edge of doom... And you blush so beautifully, my dear.”

Ike squirmed at the warm breath in his ear.  
“No fair,” he whispered back “You’ve read more than just ‘Romeo and Juliet’”

Ranulf chuckled, a deep rolling sound, reminiscent of a purr.  
“The better to seduce you with, Commander. Shall we take this...discussion...to the other room?”

“O brave monster, lead the way!.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn…”

Ike groaned. He rolled over on his side to face his laguz.  
“Enough! I believe, I believe! Why have you memorized this much Shakespeare in just a few days? By the way, soldier boy, I don’t remember you complaining about roughness a little bit ago.”

Ranulf grinned and smacked his lover with a pillow as Ike covered his head in defense.  
“I love the way the writing sounds. It’s like music but through words. The sound of it rings and resonates. I wish I could hear one of the Heron laguz perform it. And *I* thought you’d focus in on the pricks and thorns part of that quote..”

Ike threw the pillow back at him.  
“I wouldn’t dream of giving you the pleasure of touching that comment. And don’t you dare!” Ike added, pointing at Ranulf who quickly swallowed the retort and fell back onto the bed with a laugh.

The two laid there, looking at each other. Ike reached out to entwine his hand with his partner’s. Bringing Ranulf’s fingers to his lips, he sighed happily and sighed.

“A Shakespeare expert… you’re always full of surprises, kitty cat, even after all this time.”

A gentle, soft smile lit up Ranulf’s face.  
“I love you, pretty boy.  
All days are nights to see till I see thee,  
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee to me.” 

“I love you too, kitty cat. Now, back to this talk about thorns...”


End file.
